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Ryan Miller was just the perfect fit for the St. Louis Blues at the trade deadline -- few people would argue that. The question is will he be the perfect fit past this season? The Blues certainly hope so. They’ve already made it clear to Miller and his agent, Mike Liut, that they intend to aggressively try to re-sign the goalie after the season, hoping the former Vezina Trophy winner will stay on board. There are some who felt the Blues would wait to see how Miller performed in the playoffs before making that decision, but not so. They’ve already decided they want to keep him but won’t begin contract talks until after the year is over. It wouldn’t surprise me if Miller gives it some serious thought. St. Louis is an awfully popular city with players, and the Blues will be a contender for a few more years to come. On the flip side, July 1 isn’t that far away and he’s never been on the open market. He’s been linked rumor-wise in the past to Anaheim in part because Miller’s wife is an actress in Los Angeles and the netminder works out in Southern California every summer. But the Ducks have Frederik Andersen and John Gibson -- two young netminders they’re very high on -- plus, who knows what happens with Jonas Hiller (UFA on July 1). Senators high on Hemsky
Speaking of rental players, winger Ales Hemsky has been a really nice addition so far in Ottawa despite the Senators’ overall struggles this month. The Senators have seen enough of the Czech winger that they’re planning to reach out in the near future to Hemsky’s camp to see if there’s any interest in talking extension. The money would have to make sense for budget-conscious Ottawa, but the club has interest in making his stay long-term. Vanek's plans unchanged
Thomas Vanek has loved his time in Montreal so far, saying his hat trick versus Colorado was one of the most exciting moments in his career. Having said that, in talking with Vanek’s agent Stephen Bartlett on Tuesday, he reiterated that at this point nothing has changed in terms of the plan to go to the July 1 market. Obviously, Vanek could always have a change of heart if the Habs provide him a magical spring run and he finds it just too hard to leave (like Alex Kovalev did a decade ago), but right now the plan hasn’t deviated. It’s what Vanek told the Sabres last summer, it’s what he told the Islanders this season. Leafs' Bolland using experience
Maple Leafs center Dave Bolland played in his third game back Tuesday night, versus the Blues, after missing nearly the entire season with an Achilles’ injury, and his return comes with his team in a deep slide. He’s not shied away from using his two-time Cup-winning experience from his days in Chicago to voice his knowledge to a young Leafs team during this tough time. "Having gone through two Stanley Cup finals and winning, there’s experience that comes with that, and if I can help some young guys out that haven’t been through it -- maybe not a whole lecture in front of the team, but just saying a few words to a few guys," Bolland said Tuesday morning. "It helps give the guys a jump, maybe."
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